Cal/OSHA last week issued proposed penalties of $58,100 to Smithfield Foods, owner of the Farmer John plant, as well as $46,695 to CitiStaff Solutions. Officials also charged Smithfield Foods with failing to investigate approximately 300 cases of the virus, including at least three hospitalizations. In late May, L.A. County officials reported an outbreak at the Farmer John plant in which at least 153 of more than 1,800 employees tested positive. The union, which had filed a complaint with Cal/OSHA, said in a statement that workers at Farmer John have been urging more safety protections for months. “Nothing Smithfield, nor local Farmer John management, has done has been in the interest of workers,” said UFCW Local 770 President John Grant.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 16, 2020 23:05 UTC